Turnabout
by Goth Albino Angel
Summary: Something has happened to the magic in Storybrooke. When the dwarves hit some pixie dust in the mines, everyone found their magic switched with someone else's. In most cases, this was fine, but there were two werewolves, a sorceress, and the Dark One to account for. Hopefully, the town didn't get leveled before they found a way to fix this. Red Queen. canon-divergence
1. A Disturbance in the Force

_**Decided to rewatch some of Once Upon a Time. This is what my efforts have come up with so far. Hope ya like it, my alligators!**_

 _ **I don't own Once Upon a Time.**_

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Storybrooke was slowly recovering from the sudden break in the curse. Regina had, unfortunately, been released from prison on the grounds that nothing she had done in the past could actually be proven since it had happened in a completely different realm. Most of the townsfolk were outraged at the verdict and even more so that she had been able to keep her reputation clean in this new realm. A few were placated by the news that she would have to resign as mayor, though, in favor of Snow White and Prince Charming. Regina had only rolled her eyes and muttered about wondering how long that would last.

What truly bothered her was her son's continued suspicion of her as the Evil Queen. He wanted her to prove she had changed, but how on earth could she possibly do that when the entire town didn't trust her? It was times like these when Regina wished that Henry had waited until he was eighteen before deciding to go off and try breaking a curse. At least then he wouldn't have such a black and white mentality. The former queen had instead reluctantly resigned herself to her home, practicing in this new world's form of magic.

She still went to the diner for coffee every morning, ignoring the simpletons and their muttered curses. Emma had allowed her—Regina sneered at the thought every time—to see Henry on the weekends, though with her supervision, _of course._ Today was one of those such visits, actually. They tended to be less tense when held in the diner, so Regina made it a point of arriving early. Within a few minutes, Henry and Emma arrived through the door and, like always, a smile split Regina's face at the sight of her son.

Emma left Henry to his own devices while she went to the counter to order a soda. Glancing back, the blonde watched Regina tentatively reach for a hug and Henry half-heartedly return it. Not for the first time, Emma wondered what Regina had done to cause Henry to hate her so much. And, like usual, the sheriff couldn't keep her mouth closed about it.

Spotting Ruby not too far away, Emma called, "Hey Ruby, you got a minute?"

The first full moon in Storybrooke had passed with little incident, thankfully, and Ruby had easily regained control of her wolf. The entire three nights had been spent running through the forest. The waitress looked up at her best friend's daughter and shrugged, setting down the rag she had been using to wipe down the counter. "What's up, Emma?" she greeted the blonde.

"You've said before that you watched Henry grow up, right?" Emma asked, to which Ruby nodded. "Well, I mean… I don't really know how to ask this, but… was Regina… bad for him?"

Ruby cocked her head in confusion. She had an idea what Emma was implying and the very thought set her blood aflame, but she didn't want to jump to conclusions. Taking a steadying breath through her nose, Ruby murmured, "I don't follow."

"Well, I mean, the kid seems pretty adamant that she's not his mom and he hates her-." Ruby's hand tightened on the countertop, but she said nothing, so Emma continued. "I was just wondering how badly Regina hurt him-." Emma did stop at the infuriated growl that ripped through Ruby's teeth. Several other patrons also glanced over in surprise at the sound, but moon-yellow eyes were only focused on the newcomer.

"Allow me to make one thing _very_ clear, Emma," Ruby said slowly, her voice deep with the presence of the wolf. "Regardless of what she did in the Enchanted Forest and negating the fact that she took us all to an entirely different realm, _nothing_ Regina did here was even **remotely** bad. Am I clear?"

Emma was taken aback at the sudden change in attitude, especially coming from Snow White's—she resisted the urge to snort at that—most loyal friend. "I-I just wanted to understand-."

"You understand _nothing!_ " Ruby hissed. "You only know what Henry's _book_ told you, but that little pile of dead trees only knows one side of the story, Snow's side. And just like I said, until you came along, _nothing_ she did was bad. That includes raising Henry." Ruby closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "I've watched her for ten years. I've watched her soothe him, the way she smiles at him, the way she held him when he was scared. I listened to her sing him lullabies, coo to him when he was anxious and express how much she loved him day after day. _For ten years._ Regina may have done some terrible, horrendous things in the Enchanted Forest, but _everything_ she has ever done for Henry has been out of love."

Emma nodded mutely at the small speech, unsure about why Ruby was so adamant to prove her wrong about Regina. Granted, she couldn't possibly imagine the woman singing a _lullaby_ of all things, but clearly, Ruby had seen a side of her that most other people didn't get to. Emma could respect that enough not to comment further. Besides, from her standpoint, it certainly hadn't looked like Henry was in a bad home when she had come.

Ruby took another calming breath and the tension in her shoulders eased. "Look, I'm not trying to bite your head off or anything, I just… she's done a lot of shit, but being a bad mother is not something anyone can accuse her of. She loves Henry from the bottom of her heart, you know? And his absence is… kinda wearing on her a little. Everyone in town already gives her enough flack without trying to tarnish her motherly reputation too."

"Yeah, I get it," Emma murmured. "It was just a little surprising coming from you. Considering you're Snow White's best friend and all. I thought you'd jump at the chance to make me hate her some more or something."

Ruby shook her head and replied, "While I'm sure you'll find that Henry's definition of 'good' and 'evil' isn't what really happened on either side of the war, not all of the 'good' guys are so quick to proclaim how amazing they are. Some of us actually bother owning up to the bad things we did in the Enchanted Forest…"

Emma watched the waitress for a moment, her eyebrows scrunching skeptically. "Something tells me, someone needs to rewrite that book Henry has…"

Ruby snorted and shot her a look that plainly said, 'Ya think?'

The pair lapsed into companionable silence as Ruby went back to her job while Emma sipped her drink, thinking over Ruby's speech and behavior. Over with Regina and Henry, the little boy was enthusiastically explaining to his mother all of the wonderful things that happened over in the Charming loft. Regina listened with rapt attention, watching him with acute fascination. She was simply happy to have her son talking to her in any capacity and not spitting insults in her direction.

"And that's how we got rid of the mouse!" Henry declared, puffing his chest out proudly.

Regina giggled at the sight and at the embellished tale. "Well, I'm glad you could rid yourself of it, though I don't think I'd have minded keeping it in a cage."

Henry's eyes widened at that, his entire face lighting up in excitement. "I could've kept it as a pet?"

Regina pursed her lips a moment before saying, "We would have had to tame it first, but you're getting to an age where you might be able to handle a simple rodent."

"Cool!" Henry breathed. Regina's heart fluttered at the look on her son's face. "Maybe when I come by tomorrow we can go shopping and pick one out together!" Suddenly, his eyes darkened suspiciously and he asked, "You're not doing this to get me back on your side, are you?"

"Not really," Regina responded, though not entirely telling the truth. "I did see a show in which the students were allowed to take some kind of class pet home with them every once in a while. That's why I said rodent and not puppy."

"So… You're thinking of getting me a puppy?" Henry grinned.

"We'll think about it," the former mayor told him sternly, her lips twitching in a smile. "Maybe when you're a little older and can be trusted not to go running off all alone." Henry pouted at that and Regina chuckled softly.

As she was about to ask him about another subject she considered safe in order to dissuade him from possibly asking about her currently nonexistent redemption, Regina felt a pulse throughout her body. At Henry's stiffening, she knew he had felt it as well, and a brief glance around the diner proved they weren't the only ones. Standing quickly, Regina brought Henry close to her as she glanced around in confusion. Something had happened and she didn't know what; she hated not knowing what was going on in her town.

"What the hell was that?" Ruby muttered, feeling a strange prickling under her skin. It was as if there were tiny pins pressing just slightly at the surface of her flesh and she wasn't really familiar with the sensation.

"Not… sure…" Emma responded, also confused.

Granny strode from the back and growled, "Something just happened. My wolf is gone." Ruby's eyes widened and she understood the prickling sensation. Her wolf never felt like a prickle, it felt like an itch. This was different and definitely a bad sign. As if by reflex, all heads turned in the direction of the former mayor.

Regina rolled her eyes at the looks being cast at her and huffed, "Don't look at me! I've been here this entire time. Clearly, I couldn't have done this one."

"What if you've got a body double somewhere?" one of the dwarves—whichever one—piped up accusatorily. "You could have her doing something while you're here."

"Clearly _someone_ doesn't understand how cloning magic works," Regina muttered with another roll of her eyes. "The short of it is that if I had a body double somewhere, one of two things would have happened. Either my emotions would be split and I would therefore not be able to concentrate on anything for longer than three minutes at a time or the amount of power needed to give both of us equal emotion would be a massive drain and Henry would have noticed if I was more tired than usual."

"You do seem a bit exhausted," someone else grumbled.

"She hasn't been sleeping, dimwit," Granny snapped. "She's looked a mess for days. Now that we've cleared up it wasn't Regina, we need to figure out who else could have done this. My wolf may be old, but it still takes time to control."

Thankfully, all were saved at that moment by Marco rushing through the door. "Mayor White has called a town meeting!" he called, catching everyone's attention. "Apparently something's happened with the magic in Storybrooke." As to be expected, he directed a glare to Regina. The former queen simply rolled her eyes once more and didn't even bother correcting him.

Instead, she drew herself up to her full height and turned to Henry, absently scratching her arm. "Come along, Henry," she said softly, holding out her hand. "Let's go make sure whatever this is doesn't have any negative effects on you." Her face darkened and she growled, "If it does, I may need to set the person responsible on fire." At her son's reproachful look, Regina sighed. "Or… I could simply inform them that they need to fix it immediately." Henry grinned and took her hand, the pair following everyone else to Town Hall.

* * *

 _ **Trouble in Storybrooke (what else is new). Time to see what's happening!**_

 ** _Remember, sneak peeks and update info can be found on my tumblr, gothalbinoangel-fanfiction! I just opened commissions!_**


	2. Unease in Power

**_Bad news ahead! Read at your own discretion! ;)_**

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The entire town gathered in the large space of Town Hall. Up on the dais, Snow White and Prince David were in an intense conversation with Blue. People milled about as the trio continued what appeared to be a slight argument, from the exasperated look on David's face, but he usually looked like that when things weren't going his way, so it wasn't a fair assumption.

Regina kept Henry close as they filed into the enormous room with the rest of the town. She knew that no one in Storybrooke would dare to hurt Henry, but she didn't want him becoming collateral damage if they attempted to hurt her instead. Cocking an eyebrow at what was happening on the raised platform, Regina absently scratched her stomach as she allowed herself to go over the different things that had happened since the nitwits up there had taken control of the town. Not much had really gotten done since they took the mantle and Regina couldn't help but think that they might have been having some trouble running a world in this land.

Thankfully, her property was technically not considered part of the town, something she had come to realize was a way to keep her safe should the curse break. It had been a subconscious thing on the behalf of the curse. Therefore, nothing that affected the simpletons around her bothered her lifestyle.

There was tense conversation for several minutes as everyone in town traded stories of how different they feel. The former queen rolled her eyes at the absurd ways in which the peasantry entertained themselves while waiting for news. Though, she couldn't blame them in this instance since the morons on the platform were taking an eternity to come to some kind of conclusion. She could create an entirely new vendetta against Snow White and go hunting for her again in the time it took for the Charmings to come to a conclusion.

At last, Snow and David turned to the crowd and Snow cleared her throat. The rabble quieted down and all eyes turned to their leaders expectantly. Snow looked to David with a raised eyebrow, but the prince shook his head quickly, holding his hands up in surrender. Both looked to Blue and motioned for her to speak. The head of the fairies resisted the urge to roll her eyes at them before turning to the crowd.

"It would seem," the head nun began. "that when the dwarves were in the coal mines looking for any other signs of pixie dust, one of their axes collided with an abundance of it hiding behind a thick wall of rock."

"That sounds pretty awesome," Henry beamed, his eyes lighting up at the thought of more pixie dust. He knew the fairies were very particular about it and if the amount of pixie dust increases, then so does the amount of magic in Storybrooke. Regina chuckled down at him, rubbing at her neck a moment before turning her attention back to the front.

"Well, it would be," Blue pursed her lips anxiously. "if it hadn't also caused an enormous shockwave through the town that has now switched everyone's magic."

There was a moment before both Regina and Mr. Gold shouted an infuriated, "What?"

Blue took a deep breath, knowing that showing her amusement would only cause her an enormous amount of pain once this problem was fixed. "The magic within everyone born in the Enchanted Forest has now been switched with another person. Because the Enchanted Forest is a land with magic in abundance that comes from both the land and within the people who inhabit it, everyone has magic who was born in the Forest. Unfortunately, due to this, everyone except children born in this land has had their inherent magic, and the abilities it afforded them, switched with someone else."

Regina needed to take deep breaths. Glancing to the disgusting imp that had made it his life's purpose to ruin her happiness, she found her own worry mirrored back at her. Neither particularly liked the idea of losing the magic they worked so hard to control and it being given to someone else.

Scratching idly at her stomach, Regina stepped up and called, "How do we set things right?" A murmur went up at her question, the citizens turning to the fairy inquisitively.

Blue shifted uncomfortably at the scrutiny and responded, "We're not sure at the moment. Mining pixie dust has never produced such consequences as far as we can remember, so we'll have to test some theories."

Regina's back stiffened and Gold's grip tightened on his cane. This was not good at all. Regina's magic was relatively suitable, but it was closely tied to emotions. If she switched with someone who didn't have a good handle on their moods, someone could do something terrible to the town, including leveling it in one fit of rage. The power of the Dark One was even more terrible since it wouldn't even take a mood swing. The magic manifested as it wished if Gold wasn't actively concentrating on keeping it concealed. Someone could sneeze while walking down the street and suddenly Storybrooke would be sucked into a black hole or something just as apocalyptic.

The townsfolk also seemed aware of this fact if the looks being shot in the two mages' direction was anything to go on. Gold huffed in irritation, looking around for anyone who might even remotely have gotten his power, not wanting to let some numbskull get away with such a force without proper tutelage. Regina, on the other hand, was having a hard time gripping the fact that she had someone else's magic in her system, someone else's magic that could be dangerous.

It was clear to everyone watching her that the situation was making the former mayor on edge. While her mask just barely remained in place, the worried looks Regina shot in Henry's direction were a clear giveaway to her thoughts. Finally, she took a deep breath, turned to Emma, and said, "I-I think… it would be best for everyone… if I stayed away from Henry until this whole thing blew over. Emma will have to watch over him more closely."

Several of the townsfolk were split in reaction. A few of them cringed at the obvious pain in the former queen's voice, understanding that such a sacrifice must have been hard on her. It was no secret that Regina valued her son above everything else, even if most of the town preferred to overlook that simple fact. Others openly gaped at the mayor in shock. Regina had fought against Emma since the blonde's arrival in town and now she was willingly handing her son over.

Henry turned to his mother in confusion, hazel eyes narrowed in suspicion. "You… _want_ me to go with Emma?" he asked slowly. "And… _not_ come see you?"

"Yes, I do," Regina responded, doing her best to remain calm. Even without wolf hearing, Granny and Ruby both heard the strain in her voice and, from the looks on Snow and Mr. Gold's faces, they weren't the only ones. "It's unavoidable at the moment. I only trained myself in my own magic and with little knowledge of the magic I now wield or how it will manifest itself, it would be foolish of me to keep someone else in such close proximity."

"It's not like the Evil Queen cared before about hurting people," Leroy huffed, loud enough for anyone to hear. "Why care now?"

"Regardless of what the Evil Queen _didn't do before,_ " Regina grit out, momentarily closing her eyes. "What matters is the danger I could pose _now._ " Straightening her back, she turned to the blonde she was now fully trusting with her son's wellbeing. "I trust you'll keep Henry safe from danger until this mess is sorted out, Ms. Swan?"

Emma, like her son, was trying to figure out Regina's angle in all of this. It was clear that, as much as it pained her, Regina needed Emma to take care of Henry, but the blonde couldn't possibly understand what magic the former mayor would be afraid of. Slowly, the sheriff nodded. "Yeah… yeah, I'll take care of him."

Regina returned the nod and sighed, "I will work with the fairies to see if there is anything I can do to help. The last thing we need is someone accidentally setting the town on fire or ripping someone's heart out in a fit of rage." Looking to Blue, she called, "I'll let you know if I find something useful in my spellbooks."

At the head fairy's nod, Regina began heading for the exit. Before she disappeared, Regina threw one last comment over her shoulder. "And Ms. Swan, if you're not going to feed Henry healthily, at least make sure he brushes his teeth before bed." With that, she was gone before anyone could stop her.

"No one should leave," Blue groaned, looking to the crowd worriedly. "We need to sort this all out and come up with a solution."

"It's also really important I figure out who got my wolf," Ruby called frantically. "Someone inexperienced might need practice controlling it. Especially since Wolf's Time is in less than a week."

"And I would appreciate returning the powers of the Dark One to me, considering I actually _have_ someone to keep me in line," Mr. Gold added with a furtive smile to Belle.

Blue sighed and stated, "As far as I can tell, the magic isn't mismatched. If we can all figure out which skills we have, then we'll know who all has what power. For instance, if someone has gained a dwarf's fire resistance, chances are, they almost certainly switched with a dwarf. Or if someone has an urge for carpentry, then they most likely switched with Marco." Granny stiffened at that and she shared a glance with the magic carpenter.

Snow sighed, knowing that this would take some getting used to for a large portion of the populace. Still, they would have to make the most of it. "While the fairies are searching for a solution, I would like to ask everyone to remain calm and…" Shaking her head with a huff, she finished, "Please try not to level the town within a day. You're all free to leave now."

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 ** _Welp, this should turn up some interesting experiences for everyone._**

 ** _Remember, sneak peeks and update info can be found on my tumblr, gothalbinoangel-fanfiction! I just opened commissions!_**


	3. Adjusting

**_Welp, here we go. Let's see how Storybrooke deals with the fallout. Hope ya like!_**

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The town did the best they could to adjust to this change of pace. Most of the townspeople simply went about their usual business with the exception of switching some of the jobs around. Granny was still able to cook just fine, but she frequently needed to visit Marco to help him build or fix furniture since he wasn't as adept as he had been before the mixup. Belle found herself happily digging away in the mines with a few others while Doc spent a larger span of time reading than usual. It was a tough transition, but practice would make it work until the fairies figured out a solution.

True to her word, Regina remained away from Henry and pretty much everyone else in town. It was doubtful she even left her house in the few days following the town meeting. No one saw her come outside and any attempts for someone to check up on her usually ended with the door unanswered. This worried Emma and Henry, for different reasons. Emma wanted to know what exactly Regina was up to inside the house to be sure she wasn't regressing. The whispers from her parents—still a difficult concept to grasp—of the things Regina had done in the Enchanted Forest made her wary and distrustful of the former mayor.

Henry, meanwhile, was worried about his mother's health. While he still saw her as the Evil Queen, he remembered back to all of the times she had woken him for school looking as if she hadn't slept. It took him a few years before he was able to stay awake long enough to actually witness one of her all-nighters. Henry knew that, with this problem keeping him away from her, his mother was likely to not even pay attention to her own well-being.

Ruby and Granny had asked as many people around Storybrooke as they could about any itching sensations under their skin. Ruby hadn't discovered whose magic she wielded and Wolf's Time was only a day or two away. Not only that, but it was a strange transition back to being a regular human. As their cursed selves, both Granny and Ruby didn't have the enhanced senses of their wolves, but after months of reacquainting themselves with the wolves, they now had to spend an indeterminate amount of time without the senses once more.

Mr. Gold had quickly tracked down the person with his Dark One magic, some former mouse named Billy, and had begun teaching him how to control the power. It was a slow process as Billy was overexuberant about having someone else's magic within him, but Gold gradually got through to him.

The town bustled about the same as before.

Ruby sighed as she watched the sun's position from within the diner. It was a slow day, so no one really was inside except the regulars that tended to come to the diner as a place to relax. Leaning on the counter, the red-clad waitress simply stared out the window, waiting for the timer to ring to tell her to change the coffee in the pot.

A jingle over the door caught her attention and Ruby turned to find Emma striding inside. Straightening up, Ruby called, "What can I get for you, Sheriff?"

"Just a quick coffee, Rubes," Emma sighed. "I've been getting a lot of calls to the office since everyone is still getting adjusted. So many fires and thefts. You would think people would realize that the town is still the same, even if they've got 'cool new powers'."

Ruby chuckled with a nod. "Yeah, I can definitely understand that. But you seem to be doing just fine."

"That's because I got the powers of what seems to have been a former sloth. I don't know how your forest ended up with him, but apart from being somewhat lazier than usual, I'm functioning just fine." Emma laid her head down on the counter as Ruby poured her a cup of coffee.

"Well, as sheriff, I think switching with a sloth wasn't necessarily the best thing, but since you're handling it okay, everything is alright." The waitress leaned on the counter once more as Emma took a gulp of the coffee and perked back up. "Though, you may end up with coffee poisoning once this is over."

"Gonna have to deal," Emma shrugged, setting her cup down to save the coffee for a little later. "Found out who has your wolf yet?"

Ruby shook her head with a worried sigh. "Not a clue. Granny says that it would be easier if I knew who's magic I had, but aside from an odd prickling under my skin, I feel just like my usual self. I have no clue what magic I have."

"Have you tried asking around to see if anyone recognizes a prickling sensation?" Emma pointed out. "I mean, I know you've asked about the wolf, but maybe someone is used to that kind of thing, so they don't recognize the difference."

Ruby bit her lip. "I haven't asked about that. Thanks, Emma, I'll try it. I just… don't want someone to find out when it's too late, you know?"

The blonde nodded and downed the rest of her coffee, heading out into the day. As she did, Ruby thought about the possibility of asking someone about the prickling sensation. The full moon rose the following night, so she needed to find out who had her wolf soon.

 ** _…_**

Henry glanced up as Emma strode into the loft. David had been helping him with his homework, but at the sight of his daughter, the former prince breathed a sigh of relief. Emma smirked at her father—still a strange concept—and turned as Henry gave her a hug.

"How was your day?" he asked.

"Needed to drink more coffee than usual again, but aside from that, mostly calls about people being stupid." Emma laughed and ruffled his hair. "Basically, the usual, just more of it."

"Did you… stop by to see my mom?" the tiny boy inquired cautiously.

Emma shook her head. "Uh, no, not today. You've been awful worried about her, kid. I mean, when I arrived, you couldn't wait to get away from her and now you're all worried sick about her. I thought you hated her or something. What happened?"

"Well, it's just that she's a little different than what the book described. I mean, she's evil, but she also worried about me when she was my mom. She wouldn't eat or sleep just so she could make sure everything was okay in Storybrooke." Henry sighed. "I'm just worried she'll, you know, get sick looking for the answer on how to fix this."

"Trust me, Henry," Emma snickered. "From what I saw of your mom when I got here, she didn't seem the type to lose sleep over something she didn't care about and she certainly doesn't care about the people of this town."

"But she cares about me," Henry reminded her. "So she'll want to fix it so she can see me again."

Emma shrugged. From what David and Snow kept telling her about their past fighting Regina, the blonde highly doubted that Regina would go to such lengths just to fix a simple mixmatch spell. The woman cared about nothing but herself and Henry; to her, everyone else could burn in hell and she'd gladly pour the gasoline _and_ light the fire. Regina would be perfectly fine.

It was Henry whom Emma needed to worry about. Couldn't let Regina see the kid sick with worry. She'd probably try to take him home with her. Last thing Emma needed was Henry running away again because Regina wanted to be his mother.

* * *

 _ **It's so interesting how these characters are. It's fun writing them.**_

 _ **Remember, sneak peeks and updates are available on my tumblr, gothalbinoangel-fanfiction. Where you can also ask questions. And I just opened up commissions, too! Now, on to the next chapter!** **  
**_


	4. A New Wolf

_**Enjoy, dear alligators!**_

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The day of the full moon loomed over everyone. Ruby was most anxious about the entire thing, as she had her own personal fears about the wolf. The rest of the town seemed largely disinterested. From their perspective, Ruby hadn't displayed any magic and therefore, probably hadn't switched with anyone noteworthy. They focused more on the people they had switched with and their friends, wanting to keep things moving along smoothly in Storybrooke.

The day drew on and Ruby's anxiety only heightened. She tried forcing it to the back of her mind as much as she could while she was working; the last thing she needed was Granny chewing her out for not focusing. Unfortunately, the closer evening dawned, the more restless Ruby grew.

The diner wound down as night came closer. Most of the patrons were none-too-worried about the full moon, considering no one had displayed any wolf traits since the magic was switched. Granny kept an eye on Ruby to make sure her granddaughter's distraction didn't cost her any unnecessary headaches. Of course, one headache in particular couldn't be helped as the diner's door opened.

Ruby rolled her eyes as Leroy swaggered his way into the diner. She'd had to deal with him off and on since he received David's power. Apparently, being able to not only herd sheep, but also wield a sword had given Leroy a boost in ego that no one needed. Ruby especially didn't have time for his ridiculous preening; it only reminded her how much she hated it when David did it.

"Hey, Ruby," the dwarf smirked, settling at the counter. "Had a good day?"

"Not particularly," the waitress muttered. "Bit worried."

"Well, I know something that might brighten up your day." Leroy's smirk grew into a leer. "How 'bout a kiss?"

Ruby resisted the urge to facepalm. "Not in the mood for this, Leroy," she snarled lowly. "I've got more important things to worry about than you."

Leroy frowned at that and leaned closer. "What could be more important than the magic of a prince?"

"A prince that started out as a shepherd, graduated into a liar, then a traitor, and finally became who he is." Ruby glared at him in annoyance. "You were saying?"

"No need to get so into it," Leroy huffed.

Ruby raised an eyebrow at him. "You were pushing."

"Aw, come on, Rubes," the dwarf pouted. "A simple kiss wouldn't hurt anybody. Why not take advantage of the fact that ya don't have a wolf in you anymore?"

Ruby glared at Leroy for a moment and sent a punch at his chest, adding in an eye roll. However, the entire diner stopped when her hand went right through his chest, her fingers closing over his heart. Ruby gasped in horror and pulled her hand back quickly, leaving Leroy's heart where it had been. Everyone watched the waitress in shock as tears sprang to the young woman's eyes.

Granny strode over to her granddaughter quickly, placing a hand on Ruby's shoulder. Ruby jumped at the contact and turned to her with tears spilling down her cheeks. "I-I didn't- I wasn't- M-my hand-!"

"Don't worry about it, Ruby," Granny told her softly, sending a pointed glare at Leroy. "The moron now knows to be more careful while everyone's powers are switched. What you need to do is head to Regina and have her teach you about-."

Suddenly, it dawned on everyone what Ruby having Regina's magic meant. Without hesitation, all eyes flew to the windows. Some noted that night was about to fall while others paled at the information that it was going to be a full moon that night. Granny and Ruby both turned to one another in panic. "We need to get to her, Granny," Ruby said softly.

"Yeah, before she eats the entire town in a single night," Leroy snorted.

Ruby's eyes flashed purple and she sent a fireball at his feet. While the dwarf quickly swatted at his burning clothing, Granny turned to her kin. "I'll grab Marco, since he now has my finesse with the crossbow. We need to find her before she changes."

"I'll call Emma for backup," Ruby added, already getting her phone out. "She's sheriff, so it's best if she knows what's going on."

Everyone else began clearing out, heading for their homes as quickly as possible. Though they were loath to admit it, they had actually taken Ruby's control over the wolf for granted. Just like the first full moon after the curse, when Ruby wasn't sure of her level of control, they wanted to be locked away safely from the prowling animal. Now, with the knowledge that it wasn't Ruby but the queen that had made it her mission in life to make them all miserable, none of them wanted to be caught outside at sundown.

The gossips of the town quickly dialed everyone they knew to let them know what was happening; no one wanted to take chances on someone becoming a possible meal for the volatile queen turned wolf. As Ruby and Granny rushed to the carpentry shop, they saw several people hurrying along the roads, fear evident on their faces. The pair didn't have time to think about that now, though. They had a wolf to keep contained.

 ** _…_**

Regina had been feeling the clawing for days, but had never felt like this before. This aching, itching need to go out, to run free. That was a feeling she usually only received when she wanted to head into the woods on horseback, but she was no fool. She knew this was the wolf beginning to manifest and she couldn't possibly stop it. Even worse was the fact that she no longer had her own magic, which meant she also couldn't barricade herself anywhere to keep the town safe. These people already hated her beyond comprehension, but with this, they would have a legitimate reason to come after her in this world.

As the sun had begun its descent, the former queen had decided the basement was her best option. She had turned a secret room inside of it into her potions lab, but the main area was still open and sparse. Filling a large bin with water, she carried it down to the basement before gathering every last bit of meat in her freezer and tossing it into the bin. With any luck, the wolf would focus on that meat instead of the townspeople of Storybrooke. Next, she snatched up each of the blankets in the house, barring the ones in Henry's room of course, and arranged them into a sort of nest for the wolf.

Finally, as the last rays of sun began to disappear below the horizon, Regina made her way into her temporary cell, locking every bolt on the basement door. Thanking her earlier paranoia for making her install those extra locks, the former queen settled onto the nest of blankets and waited. The itching in her skin increased as the time ticked by and it took all of her training as a princess and queen not to claw at herself desperately.

Her entire body was hot, hotter than when she summoned the magic for a fireball. Sweat coated her body and Regina whimpered softly, removing her shirt breathlessly. Next to go were the soft yoga pants that seemed to have gotten far more confined than usual. Chest slick and heaving, Regina groaned as the heat only seemed to increase.

Tremors racked through her body, sending her to her knees on the pile of blankets. Arms clutching herself tightly, Regina wasn't sure if it was to keep herself from falling apart or to possibly contain the beast somehow. Either way, the call of the moon was too strong and a scream tore itself unbidden from her throat as the change finally began.

Meanwhile, Ruby, Marco, Granny, and Emma rushed to the Mills house, hoping they weren't too late to stop Regina from breaking out. Knowing it would be foolish to knock and draw Regina to them, Emma kicked in the front door and hurried inside, gun aimed in every direction. Marco was the same with Granny's crossbow, both of them protecting the two women who were searching for any sign of a wolf.

"I don't see any signs of damage yet," Ruby breathed in relief. "Do you think she has changed yet, Granny?"

"No clue," the elder woman murmured, eyes scanning the area carefully. "But don't let your guard down. Without your wolf senses, this is more dangerous than usual."

Emma stared around the living room a moment before moving to the next room carefully and huffing, "If she hasn't changed, then where could she be? I know this is a big house, but it's not _that_ big."

Before any of them could respond, a scream sounded somewhere in the house. Marco and Emma shared a glance before the scream came again. "The basement!" Marco hissed, leading the way with the sheriff on his heels. Flanking the door, Emma was about to kick it in before Ruby grabbed her arm quickly.

"You don't want to do that," the waitress told her hurriedly. "If she's in the midst of changing, then there's a chance her resentment of you will cause the wolf to attack you specifically."

"Wolves are pack creatures," explained Granny. "The fact that you walked into her life and basically stole her son won't go over well in the wolf's mind. It's probably best we back up before it gets a good enough whiff of our scents."

Marco shifted and asked, "But will she be alright down there?" His question was emphasized by another scream, this one sounding more like a roar than a human in pain.

"With any luck, she'll _stay_ down there," Granny huffed. "I wish that insufferable woman had told us before that she was the wolf. We know where Ruby's cloak is and could have loaned it to her. Come on, let's go."

A crash from the basement made Emma and Marco freeze in shock. Ruby and Granny both rolled their eyes and muttered, "Just like prey." Grabbing a person each, they dragged their friends from the vicinity of the basement as a fierce snarling sounded from behind the locked door. The group moved to the living room instead, wanting to remain close enough to subdue Regina should she escape, but far enough away to not be taken by surprise.

Ruby took to pacing while Granny reclined in a chair and both Emma and Marco kept their eyes trained on the doorway, weapons ready just in case. There was the unspoken agreement that they would all make the effort to stay up until sunrise in order to make sure the wolf didn't break out. If it did, then it would have to go through them before it could reach the rest of the town. The quartet settled in for a long night.

* * *

 ** _And now the (not really all that subtle) plot point has arrived! Like I said, interesting experiences for all._**

 ** _Remember, sneak peeks and updates are available on my tumblr, gothalbinoangel-fanfiction. I just recently opened commissions, too!_**


	5. Settling the Beast

The next morning, the entire group was still awake, if barely. Granny was dozing in her seat, fighting to keep herself awake. Marco had long since succumbed to the pull of sleep while Emma repressed several yawns fighting to get out of her jaw. Ruby was the only one still wide awake and pacing. Even if the wolf hadn't made its way upstairs the previous night, she was still worried about how Regina was taking the situation.

Emma jerked awake at the sound of heavy footsteps on the basement stairs and both she and Ruby got ready. They knew that, with the sun up, they would no longer be facing the wolf, but a grumpy Regina was just as unpleasant if not more so. The basement door opened and both women slowly made their way out into the hall to watch the older woman trudge out. Neither was prepared for the sight of a half-naked, tussle-haired Regina to move gracefully into sight.

Emma hurriedly turned away, far too uncomfortable with the situation, while Ruby's jaw dropped at the gorgeous woman before her. She actually wished Storybrooke was warm enough for a public pool so she could see Regina in a swimsuit. She hadn't expected the other woman's skin to glow so brightly. Slowly, tired brown eyes lifted and Regina cocked her head at the sight of the two women before her, a trait Ruby guessed must have come with the wolf.

"What are you doing here?" she rasped, her usually husky voice deeper and hoarser from last night's distress.

Ruby shifted at the sultry sound, turning her gaze elsewhere as she replied, "We wanted to come and see how you were doing. I didn't know until last night that you had switched with me and we wanted to be sure you were dealing okay."

Regina sighed and shook herself slightly. It was about then that Ruby noticed the blood smeared along her chin and cheeks. "Did you… eat someone down there last night?" she asked fearfully, eyes glued to the red tinges. Emma whirled around at that, taking in the blood for herself.

"No, I didn't eat anyone as far as I'm aware." Regina daintily covered a yawn as she shut the basement door. "I don't remember anything of last night, but waking up next to a bin empty of the meat I stored in it last night is probably a good sign. Considering my basement door is still intact, I can also assume I didn't leave last night, thankfully. Without my magic, I can't fix the door."

Emma suddenly shifted at that and Regina, ever perceptive, turned to her expectantly. "Uh," the blonde mumbled. "How do we fix your front door, then?"

The former mayor shook her head in irritation and grumbled about interfering blondes as she strode to the front of the house to examine the damage. As she did, Marco and Granny were just waking and walking from the living room. Both froze at the sight of the usually intimidating woman looking somewhat disheveled and ready for a spa day.

With her house guests watching curiously, Regina checked her front door for a moment before lifting it back into place easily. To say Emma was shocked at the small, half-dressed woman setting the door right on her own would be an understatement. Granny and Ruby were both well aware of the wolf's strength, but even they were a little taken aback at the sight.

Once the door was properly fit into place, Regina ran a hand through her hair and turned to her guests. It struck both Ruby and Emma as odd that she had yet to mention any indication of getting dressed, thinking that she would have by now. With a quick glance to Ruby, Emma realized that the wolf must be partially responsible for certain wardrobe functions here. That certainly explained a lot about how Ruby dressed when Emma first arrived.

Regina took in the people before her with her usual contemptuous eye. Marco was openly ogling her due to her lack of attire. The former mayor could hardly care about it, having been used to it back in the Enchanted Forest as well, but the sharp tang of his arousal wasn't doing her nose any favors. Emma looked extremely uncomfortable and Regina chalked that up to her state of dress as well; it must be quite awkward to see your son's other mother in only her undergarments. Granny Lucas gazed at her with an impressed expression, clearly approving of how well Regina had a hold on her new power. Ruby simply stared at her, looking both nervous and relieved, though the hints of desire coming from the woman were far more soothing to Regina's nose than Marco's had been.

"Is there something I can help you with?" the former queen finally demanded, tired of standing with no one saying anything.

"H-how did you stop the wolf from getting out?" Ruby asked curiously, doing her best to look at Regina's face and _not_ stare at the excessive amount of skin being shown off by the lacy black undergarments.

Regina shrugged and padded passed them, replying, "I don't think I really stopped it, but I know I had some modicum of control. It most likely comes with being a magic-wielder. Since the wolf is also a magical entity, it's only fitting that my prior lessons give me some leverage over it." Motioning to the living room, Regina added, "Make yourselves comfortable. I'm going to go shower and dress. Then we can discuss why you broke my front door down."

The group shuffled into the living room and settled back into their seats as Regina made her way up the stairs. Once she was out of sight, Emma sighed and leaned back into the couch. "Well, that was… unexpected."

"We were hoping she would get something relatively harmless," Marco grumbled. "Instead, she winds up with the third most dangerous thing in town. Just our luck."

"She's controlling it alright for now," Granny reminded him. "Woman hasn't been seen in days. Probably didn't leave the house once she felt the wolf."

Ruby nodded in agreement with her grandmother. "That explains why she was so adamant about Emma keeping Henry away from her. She was afraid of hurting him on the full moon."

Emma shook her head with a huff. "Hopefully, this can be kept under control until the fairies find a cure. Otherwise… well, I might have to arrest Regina, and I doubt Henry would take too kindly to that."

The group lapsed into silence for a while, going about their own thoughts. About twenty minutes later, Regina appeared, wearing a white tank top and a black miniskirt. The entire group was taken aback once more, having never seen their former mayor in such lax clothing. Regina moved to the couch where Emma and Ruby were seated and settled beside the red-clad waitress.

"So, to what do I owe the pleasure of you four paying me a visit?" she inquired.

Ruby shifted uncomfortably and murmured, "W-well, um, last night, I found out that I had your power…"

"Did you set something on fire?" Regina prodded.

"She damn near ripped out Leroy's heart," Granny corrected, causing Ruby to flinch in shame.

"I-I-I didn't mean to!" she stammered. "He was being annoying, flaunting the fact that he switched with David and asking for a kiss." Regina's eyes narrowed just slightly. "I only tried to punch him a bit, make him back off, b-but… my hand just… it went through his chest and-and I felt his heart beating in my hand."

Regina placed her hand on top of Ruby's, causing the younger woman to look at her. "I'm terribly sorry that you've got this burden now, Ruby," Regina murmured. "I wouldn't dream of putting this on your shoulders. The darkness currently associated with my magic should never taint someone so pure of heart."

Ruby stared at her in bafflement, both at the sentiment and at the use of her first name. Regina sighed, giving Ruby's hand a squeeze. "If you wish to control the magic, however, it's actually quite simple. My magic is ruled by emotion; so long as you remain calm, you shouldn't accidentally set anything on fire or pull out any hearts."

Emma turned to their hostess in dawning understanding. "No wonder you're always so unreadable," she murmured. "It was a natural habit because your magic takes control to maintain."

"Excellent observation, Ms. Swan," Regina deadpanned.

"How do you poof then?" Ruby asked curiously.

Regina raised an eyebrow at her. "I assume you mean my vanishing in a cloud of smoke?"

"Yeah!" the waitress nodded eagerly.

"That takes more practice because you want to be certain your entire body arrives at the same location and nothing is left behind. I can't tell you how many times I had to reattach one of my legs or arms because I wasn't focused on the task." Ruby deflated at that.

"I think I'll stick to running," she muttered. Regina simply shot her an amused smile.

An awkward silence ensued after the conversation was over with. None of the visitors really knew what to say in the face of finding out that Regina was now a werewolf and Regina herself wanted to get to reading the spellbooks still scattered around the space. She had a lot of reading to do and Marco's stinging scent of arousal was not doing her concentration any good.

"Your hair is longer," Ruby blurted out, taking in the long black tresses. Usually, they only touched the former mayor's shoulders, but now, Regina's hair appeared to be almost to the middle of her back. It looked… _good_.

Running a hand through her hair, Regina shrugged and replied, "It's growing much faster than usual. I presume that's the wolf at work. I haven't had time to cut it with how much time I've been putting into finding a counter to whatever spell was unleashed from the pixie dust."

"It's not a bad look," Ruby told her softly, admiring the way the light illuminated some of the strands in a golden highlight. Regina shot her a small smile before it fell into a slight frown.

"Now then, why, exactly, did you break down my front door?" She pinned Emma in a glare for a moment and the blonde squirmed uncomfortably.

"We wanted to come check up on you," the sheriff mumbled. "And I didn't want to draw attention to us by knocking and waiting for you to possibly come crashing through the door."

Regina rolled her eyes at the explanation and sighed. "While I appreciate the four of you wanting to make certain I hadn't left myself vulnerable and uncontained in the face of the wolf taking over my body, I would like to question your logic a moment. What would you have done had I broken from my basement and _heard you kick in the door?_ "

Emma rubbed her head at that, realizing that kicking in the door would have caused more noise than knocking would have. Ruby fought to contain her laughter and Granny shot the blonde a small grin. Regina let the embarrassment go on a few moments longer before saying, "I would rather you refrain from breaking parts of my property, Ms. Swan, lest I call for your sheriff's license to be suspended.

"And please try to be more cautious on the full moon until this mess is cleared up. As we've clarified, I do not have Ruby's control over this wolf and it would be _such_ a shame for me to explain to Snow White how her daughter ended up in pieces all over my garden." Even Granny let out a small chuckle at that, though she and Ruby both understood the implications perfectly.

"Well, this will be quite the story to tell Henry," Emma muttered wearily, dragging a hand down her face and missing Regina curling her lip in fury. Ruby and Granny noticed the flash of yellow in the brown eyes and shared a glance.

"Yes, I suppose now that my mixed-up magic has been revealed, it is suitable for Henry to know of my current condition." Emma opened her mouth, but Regina shut her down with a glare. "And while I would prefer being able to see my son again, it is still imperative that he remain away from me until I know of just how this wolf will fully affect me."

The group lapsed into silence for a few minutes, all of them pondering this interesting development. Granny wondered how the rest of the Enchanted Forest would have dealt with their queen having lycanthropy on top of her usual magic. It certainly would have meant that Snow White would have been found much easier than usual. The wolf could travel much further distances in the night than a human, after all.

Deciding that the silence had gone on long enough, the widow stood with a groan. "Well, now that we've confirmed that Regina has some knowledge and control of the wolf, why don't we all adjourn to the diner? Ruby and I need to open up and I'm sure Regina is probably starving for a meal she didn't cook herself."

At this, the former queen shifted uncomfortably in her seat and both Lucas women turned incredulous glares on her. "Don't tell me you haven't been eating?" Ruby demanded with worry and disbelief coloring her tone.

"I've been busy searching for a solution," Regina responded defensively. "There's not time to cook when there are so many spellbooks to scour through."

Emma stared at her in shock and breathed, "Wow, Henry wasn't joking…"

Granny shook her head in disappointment. "No wonder that wolf of yours went after the meat in the bin last night. The poor animal would have taken scraps at that point if it meant it got fed properly. Come on, let's go."

"But the spellbooks-!"

"Will be waiting here for you when you return," Ruby interrupted her, holding out a hand to help the older woman stand. "You really need to keep up your health if you're going to be looking for the answer. Let us feed you and you can get back to your work. Control over the wolf wanes if you're not in full health."

Regina sighed resignedly and accepted Ruby's hand, being careful not to crush the waitress' hand. Ruby ignored the warmth spreading through her fingers in favor of offering Regina a compliment. "You have amazing control over your strength and speed."

"I spent an entire day practicing," the slightly shorter woman responded, grabbing a few spellbooks and stashing them in her bag before leading everyone out the back door. "I broke so many glasses, I'm certain I'll have to buy an entirely new set."

"Good thing I have a set of dishes that were made to be werewolf-friendly," Granny huffed, though both Ruby and Regina could see the playful glint in her eyes.

They all piled into the sheriff's car and Emma set off for the diner.

* * *

 ** _I'm having so much fun, you alligators don't even know._**

 ** _Remember, updates and sneak peeks are available on my tumblr, gothalbinoangel-fanfiction. I recently opened commissions!_** ** _  
_**


	6. Three Times, No Mistake

Thankfully, there weren't that many people outside waiting to be let in, most of the frequent customers having told everyone within earshot of what Granny and Ruby would be doing the previous night. A few of the people waiting shot Regina mixed looks as she stepped from the car, but the former queen paid them no mind and walked with the rest of the group into the diner.

Marco ushered the group that had been loitering over to a table with him so he could divulge details of his experience. Regina rolled her eyes and forced herself not to focus on the conversation. It was difficult with Marco describing, in as much detail as possible, her state of dress when they'd found her. His arousal was now joined by the bitter scents of those listening to him and the former queen could feel a headache coming on.

Holding her breath so as not to smell the disturbing odor, Regina turned her eyes to where Ruby was moving things around behind the counter. She and Granny were alone at the moment, the other workers usually not showing up until later. The ease with which Ruby prepared the establishment for customers always astounded Regina as she had never thought the young woman graceful until the first day she walked in. Ruby had been busing tables with an ease that belied her powerful nature.

Ruby glanced up and caught Regina's eye, noticing the slightest swirls of yellow in the brown eyes. She wished she had her wolf senses so she could get a read on the older woman's scent, but she would have to make do without. Grabbing a rag, the taller woman made her way over to the former mayor. Granny stepped in front of Regina and asked what she needed as Ruby moved closer.

"I'm really glad you're okay, Regina," Ruby murmured, wiping down the counter as Regina finished ordering her breakfast. "I was worried you had hurt yourself or something when we heard a crash last night."

"No need to worry, dear," Regina told her wearily, sitting as primly as usual. "The walls of my basement are padded. I had it done when I brought Henry home; I didn't want him hurting himself if he were to play down there. I'm perfectly fine."

Just then, a decadent aroma split the air and Regina took a moment to enjoy it. Steak and bacon, cooked to a nice medium rare with pancakes, eggs and hash browns. It was such a nice reprieve from the disgusting stench of arousal, antagonism, and _sweat_ that most of the other patrons reeked of. With a mouth overflowing with want, the former mayor fought to keep herself composed as she turned in the direction of where Granny had set down her breakfast. It was much more than she had wanted, but she felt so starved, she didn't care.

"Werewolves have a high metabolism," Granny stated as if reading her mind. "And we're especially hungry during the three nights of Wolf's Time. Eat, you'll feel better."

Regina only spared her a quick reproachful glare at the order before digging into the meal. The food disappeared in a much shorter span of time than any other meal the people had seen her eat before. All eyes widened as their former ruler cleaned her plate within minutes.

"How heavenly," Regina practically purred once she finished. Dabbing at her lips with a napkin, she released a slight hiccup. Ruby about melted at the adorable sound. Shrewd brown eyes turned to her and Regina said, "Could you bring me a coffee, please, Ruby?"

Taken aback by Regina calling her by name _twice,_ Ruby blinked a moment before nodding mutely, taking the clear plate with her. While she waited, Regina flipped open one of her spellbooks and thumbed through it to try finding a solution to the current problem. It was aggravating, finding out that nothing like this had happened before. Of course, this was a different realm than the Enchanted Forest, so there were bound to be complications. If she could find anything that was close to the events that had transpired, then one of their solutions could be customized and tested.

As Ruby brought out the coffee for the new resident werewolf, the door to the diner jingled and Leroy swaggered inside. He clearly still thought himself tough because he had switched abilities with a prince and, just like last night, Ruby resisted the temptation to remind him again that David had been a peasant before a prince. Thankfully, she wasn't in the dwarf's sights today. Unfortunately, it seemed he had his eyes on much more dangerous prey.

"So, I guess the Evil Queen is a real beast now, huh?" Leroy sneered, sauntering toward Regina as the former mayor sipped her coffee nonchalantly. Ruby cringed, remembering what had happened the previous night. Other patrons stared at Leroy as if he had lost his mind, knowing full well what Regina was capable of with the power of a werewolf.

For her part, Regina paid no mind to the insufferable dwarf. She needed to focus on controlling her primal urges during the next two nights; a cocky coal miner hardly made a blip on her radar. This seemed to irritate Leroy, as he wanted a reply. Growling, he huffed, "What? No response now that you can't threaten me with your precious fireballs? Maybe you'll throw a furball at me instead."

Regina continued sipping her coffee, much to the surprise of both Ruby and Granny. "Careful, Leroy," Granny warned the insistently annoying man. Personally, she wouldn't mind if Regina wolfed out and ate the moron right then and there, but she knew the former queen was trying to redeem herself to the town. Eating someone certainly wouldn't help her odds in doing so. "She's controlling her anger better than Ruby was able to. There's nothing more dangerous than an unreadable wolf."

"As if she can do anything to me now?" Leroy snickered, much to the mixed horror and amusement of the other diners. "I've got Prince Charming's swordsmanship. She can't touch me."

Without warning, a tan hand shot out and gripped the dwarf around his throat, lifting him into the air. Regina had hardly moved, still sitting primly on her seat. She kept her grip light enough not to snap his neck, but tight enough that his lungs found it difficult to expand. The diner was quiet as everyone waited to see what she would do.

"Funny," she murmured, her voice just as unreadable as her face. "From the way you're talking, I'd have thought you'd gotten a dose of the Charming stupidity instead. If you remember correctly, I am now a _werewolf_ , one with very _little_ control come nightfall. What do you think the odds are of me _not_ locking myself up tonight and making the seven dwarves into six?"

Leroy stared at her fearfully, not daring to open his mouth. Ruby shook her head and sighed, clearing her throat. "Regina, I need to ask you not to physically harm other patrons. It's very bad for business and I would hate to have to throw you out after serving you coffee for nearly thirty years."

Brown eyes rose to her green and, for a moment, Ruby was sure the former mayor's pupils dilated. They returned to usual a few seconds later and Regina opened her hand with a huff, not bothering to set Leroy down. Dropping onto his back, the grumpy dwarf eyed the former queen warily for a moment before gritting his teeth angrily.

"Mark me," Regina said softly, though in the quiet diner, everyone heard. "The Evil Queen was many things, but she was no _beast._ You're lucky the werewolf you've come into contact with thus far was too terrified of her nature _not_ to try learning control. Imagine if you pissed off the _current_ werewolf. Unlike the Evil Queen, she'll take no prisoners. Remember that when you go around bragging about your new power to someone around town. Now, if you don't mind, I'm trying to discover a solution to get everyone back to their usual, moronic selves."

"Actually, Regina," Granny stepped in, seeing that the danger had passed. "Ruby and I have a temporary solution to you turning into a wolf, at least."

One meticulously plucked eyebrow rose inquisitively. Brown eyes focused on the waitress before them before nodding to Granny. "I assume you mean her cloak?"

"The very one," the elder woman affirmed, bringing out the folded bundle. "It won't tamper the urges too much, unfortunately, but it'll allow you to remain human and of your own mind until the sun comes back up."

Slowly, Regina reached out and took the priceless item in hand. "Thank you," she said quietly. "I know this means a lot to both of you." The two Lucas women nodded to her in understanding and a silent moment passed between the trio. Slowly, Regina slipped the cloak around her shoulders and tied it expertly at her throat. Ruby couldn't help but think that red was a very nice shade on the regal woman.

Clearing her throat, Regina straightened her back in an effort to regain her composure and intimidating demeanor with the rest of the room. "Well, I've had enough of the outside for the moment and the stench is stinging my nose." She cast a scathing look at Leroy. "I think I'll retire back to my home for the day. Ruby, if you need any more help, just give me a visit. Do try not to set anything important on fire, dear."

 _Three times._ Ruby allowed a large smile to spread over her lips. Regina had called her by name three times, there was no mistaking it. Not a single 'Miss Lucas' in the lot. Perhaps Regina was finally warming up to her now that she understood a bit more about her. With any luck, this might give her a chance to bond with someone other than her grandmother over the wolf. She had bonded with her mother's pack, but since none of them were here, bonding over Regina's struggle for control in comparison to Ruby's might not be so bad.

With a smile, Ruby made to continue her work before a sudden thought struck her. She had taken the cloak off a lot during adolescence. What's stopping Regina from doing the same?

* * *

 ** _Uh oh. Ruby's got a point. Will Regina remove the cloak? And what'll happen if she does?_**

 ** _Remember, sneak peeks and update info can be found on my tumblr, gothalbinoangel-fanfiction. I still have commissions open for anyone who's interested!_** ** _  
_**


	7. The Aftermath

**_Hey, everyone! It's been a little while since the last chapter, so here's the next one! Enjoy!_**

* * *

"Oh… damn," Ruby breathed, dropping her rag back to the counter and beginning to pace. "That… that's not good."

"What are you muttering about now, girl?" Granny grumbled as she eyed her granddaughter.

"The cloak might not be a good enough solution," the waitress responded, turning to her grandmother anxiously.

Granny cocked her head and waited for an explanation.

"The cloak has failed before, Granny," Ruby explained. "Not while it's being worn, of course, but the temptation to remove it is so strong at Wolf's Time that it might not be enough to contain Regina."

"Nonsense," Granny snorted. "Of course it'll contain her. It did you."

"But there's still the possibility she'll feel the pull to remove it," Ruby pointed out, not stopping her movement. "She'll still feel the itching, the craving, the _need_ to run free. If she does, then with her inexperience, there's a chance she'll take off the cloak. I did!"

"You were a pup!" Granny pointed out, though there was a hint of worry creeping onto her face as she contemplated this. "You were young and didn't like being caged."

"And how is Regina any different?" the red-clad woman demanded. This shocked several of the patrons around as they wouldn't have expected Ruby to defend their former queen so adamantly. "Granny, we don't even _know_ her backstory or much about her outside of rumor. She's still new to the wolf inside of her, which doesn't make her any different than me."

This posed an interesting situation. None of them knew how Regina had come into control of her magic, they just knew that Rumplestiltskin had something to do with it. If she had struggled with it in the beginning, then struggling with a werewolf would make sense. Granny huffed uncertainly at her granddaughter's words, realizing that Ruby had a very good point.

Seeing her grandmother coming around, Ruby murmured, "I'm just… worried. I was hoping this could, you know, die with me. If Regina breaks out and attacks someone, there's a large chance they'll die. If they somehow, by slim possibility, live… Regina will have changed someone. She'll have done the very thing I was trying so hard to prevent."

Granny rolled her eyes, finally putting down her spoon and moving to Ruby's side. She knew the wolf was something Ruby had always struggled with containing, in the Forest as Red and once the curse broke as Ruby. Her little pup was always terrified of hurting someone, of passing on their Curse without permission. She herself knew it was hard, but Granny also knew that Ruby was strong.

"Ruby, the possibility of the wolf being passed on to someone else may worry you, but don't get in over your head. Take this one step at a time. Emma and Marco are going to be staked outside of her house tonight and tomorrow night to be sure there are no mishaps. So settle down; they'll let us know if there's any trouble."

Ruby nodded, taking a deep breath. "Okay," she whispered. "Okay. Thanks, Granny."

The old woman just gave a snort and ordered, "Back to work. There are customers waiting."

Ruby simply smiled and went back to her job. While her anxiety continued to boil about Regina's chances of breaking out of her house, Ruby also wondered what it would be like to see the imposing woman as a wolf. Regina was a natural born leader, so would her wolf also be as large and intimidating as the former mayor was as a human? Would her wolf try to fight Ruby's for dominance of a pack?

A small flutter of excitement beat against Ruby's chest at the thought. Ordinary wolves submitted to her unconditionally because of the added supernatural element to her wolf; she had never been in an actual battle with a wolf before. The thought of having an actual fight in the form made her grin slightly. Maybe Regina wouldn't be opposed to the idea once everyone's magic switched back.

Saving the thought for another time, Ruby focused on her work. The roiling in her stomach would not do her anxiety any good if she kept thinking about it.

 ** _…_**

Emma sighed as she finally arrived back at the loft. Hanging her jacket on the peg, she was met with curious stares from the three other inhabitants. Snow and David looked worried as their eyes checked her over for any visible wounds, while Henry simply held a curious expression. Moving to the kitchen counter, Emma took her seat and turned to them expectantly, knowing questions were bound to come.

"You didn't come in last night," Snow stated, beginning the conversation. "Is everything okay?"

Emma shrugged and grabbed the bowl of cereal Henry poured her. "Yeah, everything's alright," she responded. "Just spent the night at Regina's place." Just as she knew it would, this caught the attention of the other three.

"You spent the night with my _mom?_ " Henry asked in disbelief.

"Mhm." Emma took a bite of her meal and explained, "Wanted to make sure she didn't break out of the basement and ravage the whole town."

"She got Gold's power?" David demanded, his face already showing signs of mistrust and judgment.

Shaking her head, Emma shut him down quickly. "No, she got Ruby's. She locked herself in her basement in an effort to avoid attacking anyone. Thankfully, it worked. She didn't break out last night. Ruby and I stayed up all night keeping watch."

"Ruby was there with you?" Snow sounded relieved; she had probably been worried that Emma had gone alone. It wouldn't be the first time her daughter walked into a dangerous situation alone.

"Along with Granny and Marco," Emma affirmed. "We all kept watch."

There was a moment of silence as everyone digested the information before Henry piped up again. "So, how is she taking the wolf thing? Did you get to see her transform?"

"No, no transforming, I'm afraid," the blonde chuckled. "She actually took it surprisingly well. Though, it has made her hair longer and caused a few wardrobe changes."

"Wardrobe changes?" David inquired curiously, Snow cocking her head.

Emma tapped her chin a moment before settling on something safe. "You know how Ruby wore those revealing clothes before the curse broke?" At her parents' nod, Emma continued, "Well, when we found her, Regina was half-naked." Snow's expression morphed into a perplexed one as David's jaw dropped and Henry shrugged, having seen his mother in such a state several times when he was younger. "Yeah, we were all surprised too. But when she came down from her shower, instead of her usual button-up or sweater and jacket, she wore a tank top and, get this, a _miniskirt._ "

" _Regina?_ " Snow gasped, green eyes widening as she tried to imagine it.

"The one and only." Emma nodded.

"Well, maybe there's an upside to this situation after all," David snorted. "With any luck, that wolf will release some of Regina's wild side and get her to loosen up some."

Snow and Emma shared a quick glance, wondering what a 'loosened up' Regina would be like. After a moment, they dissolved into laughter at the hilarity of the thought. "We can only dream," Emma chortled as Snow and David began getting ready to head to work.

 ** _…_**

As the sun began its descent upon Storybrooke, anyone outside on the streets hurried to do whatever was needed before the light of day gave way to the shadows of nighttime. Granny closed the diner early, knowing no one would come by with the possibility of Regina stalking through the streets. She and Ruby headed into the B&B, cleaning up and going about their usual routine. As they did, Granny noticed her granddaughter shooting frequent glances to the windows, but decided not to say anything about it.

Emma bade goodbye to Henry, leaving him in Snow and David's care as she headed for Regina's place. Marco would meet her there once he closed up his shop and they would remain outside of the house for the entire night. To avoid the mishap of the previous night, they settled on switching shifts every three hours.

Any other time, Emma would love a good stakeout, but since this was Regina in wolf form they were looking out for, the adrenaline in her blood heightened. She still carried Granny and Ruby's words from the previous night about Regina's wolf coming after her. That warranted being on high alert during her shift. Taking off for the manor on Mifflin Street, the sheriff just hoped she didn't get a reason to use her gun; it would destroy Henry if he knew she had killed Regina.

Meanwhile, Regina watched the sun's path with an increasing feeling of unease. The itching below her skin had already begun to heighten and the impulse to run for the woods beat strongly in her mind. She wanted nothing more than to rip the cloak from her body and sprint as far and as fast as her legs would take her.

If this had been her regular magic, Regina wouldn't have paid the restlessness any mind. She had trained herself proficiently in her own magic and knew little tricks to ignoring the more destructive thoughts that came to mind. Unfortunately, this was not her magic. The wolf urged her to remove the cloak, to run free, to stalk the streets looking for prey.

The lower the sun fell, the more intense the feeling grew. Regina knew she needed to resist it, both for her reputation and for the safety of everyone else, but it was difficult. Her skin felt like it was burning and freezing at once.

At last, as the moon rose over the trees of the city, Regina finally succumbed to the urges of the wolf and allowed the cloak to slip from her shoulders. Just like the night before, the need to remove the rest of her clothing presented itself and she stripped until she was in nothing but her underwear. Shaking and shrieking, Regina resisted the instinct to claw at her own skin until the change had finally taken over her.

The large pitch black wolf stood and shook herself, lifting onto her enormous paws, powerful muscles flexing under her fur. Everything was much smaller around her, but this didn't matter. Catching sight of the moon through the windows, she threw back her mighty head and released a fearsome howl.

* * *

 ** _I promise there will be more Red Queen next time!_**

 ** _Remember, sneak peeks and updates are available on my tumblr, gothalbinoangel-fanfiction. Where you can also ask questions. I just opened up commissions, too!_**


	8. Pack Mentality

Ruby shot up in her bed, looking around for what had woken her. A moment later, she heard what sounded like a wolf's howl and her blood chilled. Regina had removed the cloak and from the sound of things, she wasn't in her basement this time. Slipping out of bed, Ruby grabbed a quick outfit and her jacket, forgoing shoes in order to avoid waking her grandmother.

Securing her key around her neck, Ruby made her way along the streets of Storybrooke, knowing no one would be around to stop her. Everyone was most likely cowering in their homes, hoping they wouldn't be the queen's target for the night. Striding in the direction of Mifflin Street, the waitress wondered if what she was doing was a good idea. If Regina had transformed by now, it was extremely dangerous for Ruby to be going in her direction.

Coming to a stop down the street from the house, Ruby glanced around to be sure neither Emma nor Marco had spotted her before ducking around the back of the manor. Scurrying across the grass behind the large house, Ruby gently slid open the back door and crept inside.

The house was dark, as to be expected. The wolf didn't respond very well to bright lights. Slowly making her way through the large house, Ruby peered into room after room, straining her ears to catch any noise. Once she had checked the entire downstairs, the tall woman set her sights on the stairs. Thanking whatever possessed her not to wear shoes, she began the ascent.

Ruby paused when she reached the landing, not wanting to alert the wolf to her presence too early. Spotting an open door off to the side, the waitress cautiously stepped over to it and peeked around the jamb. Her breath caught at the sight of a large, pitch-black wolf lying beside Henry's bed and staring out at the moon. Regina's wolf was easily larger than Ruby's own, confirming Ruby's suspicions that she was a natural-born alpha. Ruby would have been content to watch the beautiful creature all night, had the wolf not heard and smelled her.

Leaping up, the large animal stalked forward, snarling at the intruder of her territory. Ruby remained where she was, knowing that moving would only further upset the wolf. Regina crept closer, paws padding heavily against the floor as her yellow eyes glared up at Ruby suspiciously. Green stared into yellow for a long time before Regina's growling softened and she tilted her head at Ruby.

Slowly, she crept forward and prodded Ruby's hand with her nose, licking it with a whine. Ruby relaxed slightly, still aware that Regina was not in control of this wolf, but the wolf seemed to be reflecting Regina's inner self because she didn't attempt to attack Ruby. Instead, she simply padded back to her spot beside Henry's bed and flopped down, staring out the window.

Ruby wasn't sure if she was allowed to enter or not, considering this was likely a sacred place for Regina. Instead of going in, she sat down in the doorway, leaning against the jamb and watching Regina's wolf. Neither said anything, simply staring out at the moon. Even though she no longer had the wolf inside her, Ruby felt oddly communal being with Regina in wolf form. It was like she still had the pack mentality, even though their magic had been switched.

As the night drew on, Ruby started to doze against the jamb. The black wolf glanced at her every now and then, but the waitress didn't feel like she was in any danger. In fact, she felt somewhat safe around Regina, even though she knew the former queen wasn't in control of herself. But something, possibly the pack mentality, reassured her that, so long as she didn't intrude on the wolf's space, it wouldn't hurt her.

With that thought in mind, Ruby drifted off to the sound of Regina's breathing.

…

Emma sipped her coffee idly, watching the house for any sign of trouble. The shift things was going well so far. She'd heard the howling once the moon could be seen over the trees, but there was no sign of a wolf anywhere. If Regina had broken out, she must've headed right for the woods without a second thought for the town. Still, though, since there was no sign of her, they needed to stay around just in case.

"I can _not_ believe I have to watch my son's other mother all night," Emma groaned. "This has got to be the plot of some bad romance novel somewhere." _Likely one I've read_ , she added quietly to herself with a snort.

Nothing stirred around them, so Emma was content to relax a little bit. If something moved more than usual, she would be on high alert. Last thing she needed was to be blindsided by a wolf. She really didn't _want_ to have to hurt Regina, since she hadn't done anything (of note) since the curse broke.

Just then, her cell rang and Emma hurried to answer before it drew unwanted attention. "Hello?"

"Are you on shift right now?" It was Granny, likely calling from the inn.

"Yeah, why?" Emma's blood ran cold. Had Regina managed to slip passed her? Was she roaming the town? Did Granny need to use her crossbow-?

"I think Ruby might be there," Granny said, interrupting her thoughts. "Have you seen her?"

Emma's eyebrows pulled together. "No, I haven't seen her at all. She's not home?"

"I don't smell her here," Granny explained. "Her scent is fading."

"Alright." Emma took a deep breath. "I'll go check-."

"Don't." Granny's order stopped the sheriff in her tracks. "If you go in there, without her being locked up, Regina will not hesitate to attack you. Just keep an eye on the house. If you see any sign of Ruby, try to stop her. I can't imagine what that girl is thinking."

"You got it, Granny."

The line hung up and Emma sat up straighter. She had no idea why Ruby would come this way either, but she didn't want her friend doing something dangerous. Regina hadn't been trained in her wolf, which meant she was dangerous to everyone, even former wolves.

…

Ruby cracked her eyes open as the sun began to rise. Dawn peeked through the window, signaling the start of a new day. Ruby yawned, sitting up straighter and glancing into the room. Regina snoozed gently beside Henry's bed, her head just high enough to lay on his blanket.

As the sun's rays rose higher, Ruby watched as the wolf stirred. Its massive jaws opened in a wide yawn before it began to shrink. A blush flared to Ruby's cheeks as Regina sat before her, once again in nothing but her undergarments.

The sound of a pounding heart drew Regina's attention to the door. She raised an eyebrow as she covered another yawn. This was an interesting development. From the looks of things, Ruby had slept near her even though she had transformed. Did the wolf not recognize Ruby as a threat or food?

"Good morning, Ruby," Regina said, slowly getting to her feet. "I trust you didn't break down my door this time?"

"No," Ruby stood as well, stretching. "No, I came in the back door."

"You walked all the way here from your home, at night, right into the lair of a murderous beast?" Regina didn't know if she should laugh at Ruby's stupidity or be impressed by her bravery.

Ruby bit her lip. The creature she saw last night didn't seem murderous in the slightest. The wolf looked sad, lonely even. But Ruby would only be able to see that in the wolf. Regina never let on how much she was hurting, so talking to her about it would be fruitless.

Instead, Ruby cleared her throat and shrugged. "Yeah, well, I needed to make sure you were okay. I heard a howl and didn't want you breaking out. Even without wolf powers, I'd say I'm still pretty formidable."

Regina eyed her for a moment and Ruby could've sworn she saw the older woman's pupils dilate for a second. What was that?

"Yes, well, formidable or not, I don't need any more murders on my record." Regina stretched and Ruby averted her eyes before she passed out. "If you must come here during the full moon, please refrain from coming too close to the wolf while the moon's up,. I don't need your grandmother coming after me with her bow, whether she's proficient with it or not."

"Deal," Ruby agreed. She turned to leave, but an idea struck her. Turning back, she said, "Regina, would you be alright if I brought you food?"

Surprise flashed in the former mayor's eyes. "Beg your pardon?"

"Well, you seem pretty into all the spellbooks and stuff," Ruby pointed out. "You didn't even want to leave the house for food yesterday. To compromise, maybe I can bring you food on my lunch break and after I get off for the night. That way, you're still eating without having to deal with the people around town."

Regina stared at her, brown eyes narrowing minutely. Ruby knew she wouldn't trust it immediately, but that was fine. She was patient… ish. "What's the catch?" the former queen inquired lowly.

"There isn't one," Ruby shrugged. "But if you want, I can think of one real quick so you don't feel like, you know, it's charity or something."

Regina nodded and Ruby thought a moment. Looking down at her hands, the waitress remembered something. "You could teach me how to control your magic?" Ruby suggested. "So that I don't burn things up or p-pull out hearts." She stumbled over the second part, feeling the ghost of Leroy's beating heart in her hand.

"That's it?" Regina chuckled. "Well, that's quite a steal, but I'll yield. Once you bring me food at night, I'll teach you the basics. How does that sound?"

"Perfect!" Ruby chirped. "So, I'll see you around noon with your lunch!"

Regina nodded, covering another yawn and Ruby made her way from the house. As she came around the front, she heard a door shut and her heart sank. She'd forgotten about Emma and Marco. From the look the sheriff was giving her, Ruby could guess that she was in _quite_ a bit of trouble…

* * *

 _ **Ooh, Ruby's in trouble! Hopefully Granny won't be too hard on her. Until next time!**_

 _ **Remember, sneak peeks and updates are available on my tumblr, gothalbinoangel-fanfiction. Where you can also ask questions. I just opened up commissions, too!**_


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